Mpi

The Mpi say their ancestors came from Yunnan, in southern China, and fled to Laos about two or three centuries ago. Later, in times of war, they were captured and taken to the territory that is now Thailand, where they settled.

The villages hold slightly different versions of this memory. In Ban Sakoen, it is said that the ancestors arrived as war captives. In Ban Dong, people remember men brought to care for the elephants in the service of the princes of Phrae. In both accounts, the people put down roots far from their place of origin and, over time, drew closer to the way of life of northern Thailand.

Their livelihood comes mainly from growing rice. Many Mpi, however, also work in factories or in nearby towns, and some families make brooms to sell. Some hold leadership roles in their communities, and work away from the village exists alongside labor in the fields throughout the year.

In daily life, the Mpi are integrated into northern Thai society, and the communities maintain ties and intermarriage among themselves. Religious life fits into that same daily rhythm, with offerings made each morning at household altars. What makes them unique shows up in family conversations, when the Mpi language still lives on, especially in Ban Dong.

Most are devout Buddhists, and their faith is mixed with very much alive animist beliefs. The Mpi honor their ancestors and keep altars in their homes, where they make offerings every morning. They also venerate the Chao Fa, the guardian spirit of the village and the home, to whom families turn with respect.

Alongside this devotion there is a fear of the spirits of the land and of evil forces, from which one must be protected. These practices tie the family to those who came before and give a sense of protection amid life’s uncertainties. For this reason, changing faith can sound like turning away from one’s own home and ancestors.

There are Scripture portions in the Mpi language, but there is not yet a New Testament or a complete Bible. Because the language is losing speakers among the youngest, the path of the Word also runs through Thai, a language many of them master. Even so, hearing the Scriptures in the language of the heart, the one families use among themselves, carries a weight that no other language can replace. Spoken and recorded materials can be especially valuable for a small people whose language is at risk, since they pass easily from one generation to the next within the home.

For the Mpi, Buddhism and the worship of ancestors are part of family and village life, so following another path can look like a break with one’s own parents. Because they are few and live in only two villages, there is almost no Christian witness nearby, and rarely has anyone explained the gospel in a way that made sense to them. Living alongside their Thai neighbors, they easily go unnoticed, and their language and their own need are little known beyond the villages.

The people need those willing to get to know them closely, learn their language and live among them with humility, since there is not yet a Mpi community of faith. There is also a need to preserve the language and the memory, now under threat, at a time when many leave to work in the cities.

In the spiritual realm, families live with a fear of spirits and seek protection. The gospel offers an answer to that fear and a hope greater than the rituals of each morning, and the Mpi need to hear it in words they understand.